The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-02-18

~ ooout Two mica uorto OF THIS place.
TIE express which left Springfield, Mass,
. nine o'clock last night, bound for
Montreal. when near Woodstock ran on
the bridge q that place and two sleepers
and two passenger coaches full Of passon-
gers fell through the bridge distance Of
oixty feet The cars and bridge q once
caught Dire. the latter being entirely con-
oumcd. The exact number Of killed and
wounded has not been learned. Some
place the number q sixtcon killed, while
others say thirty or forty lost their lives,
and that large number wcro injured.
Among those killed II Frank Wesson,
the son Of ID. B. Wesson, Of Springfield,
UasA, Of the arm Of Smith \ Wesson,
the 6re-arm manufacturers. Conductor
0turtevsnt Of the Inflated train was %
badly burned that It d thought that he
win die.
WHIrE RIVER JUNCTION, VT. Feb g.
Charles n Hosmer, OF Lowell, . book
keeper for Otis, Allen & Son, makes tho
following statement:
II took the train at Lowell; was IN .
Central Vermont sleeper. I remember
twcnty-ono others including I'VE ladies' In
the car. but knew none Of them PERSONAL
". Several were going 70 Montreal
was awakened out Of sleep and the first
knew was the humping Of the cars. got
on my knees and the car began TO sway
with sickening motion. Then camc the
crash and at first AL was darkness and con-
fusion don't remember that there was
any screams, but there were means and
calls for help. found myself pinned
down By seat but broke window and
The car onto the ice. should think the
or dropped nfty-fve feet The other
three cars were also on tho Ice, they hav-
ing broken away from the forward part Of
the train Ny clothing, except two shirts
and socks, was torn from me in getting
out lost everything else. A man who
occupied . berth next to me was
struggling amidst the ruina He
asked me to help him, and
finally succeeded in extricating him.
There was lady in the ruins whom We
saved, but she was naked when we took
her from the car. She said she could never
have been taken out II she had kept her
clothing on think was the nrst person
who got out Mr.. Hutchins, OF Baintree,
who took the train at Concord. escaped,
and assisted in saving others The lady
we rescued proved to be Mrs. Dryden, or
Montreal worked until was 50 chilled
that could do nothing more.n
"A few minutes after the crash the cars
took IRE and the flames lcaped up TO the
bridge and illumined the valley for long
distance. Those who were unable to es-
cape, were soon in the embrace Of death
can not now realize the terrible specta-
Gle OF the last scene. When the flames
burst out could see imprisoned passen-
gers, either calling for help or insensible.
put there was no power to save them.
- - 49,
where l got some clothing. Our car was
the second Of the sleepcrs. Out Of the
twenty-five in my car, personally know
that nine at least were saved. Mrs.
Dryden was seriously injured in the back
saw two Of those in my car in the flames.
I remember Montreal trapper who had
been with his club ia Boston. He was
saved. but his lady companion was lost.-
a Mr.. Morse Of Springfield, Mass, 10
among the injured at the Junction house.
Mr.. Mott. hay dealer from New York |
State. Is also at the junction house He \
will probably recover.
vAs FORCED TO LEAVE MS COMPANION 70 |
PERISH.
CoScoRD, n. H., Feb 5-An occupant OF /
lho Boston sleeper. whose name could not 4
be ascertained. passed through here this /
afternoon. He said that every berth was |
occupied. He was awakened by the JOLT |
ing Of the car. which presently went |
over the abutment and, turning over
in is descent, struck the ice on its |
roof, which was crushed in. the 1
narrator, who occupied lower berth. cx-
tricated himself with difficulty. and at |
once set to work TO relieve a Boston gen.
tleman. who occupied an upper berth. He |
worked with energy. but was driven away |
BY the flames. and became an involuntary /
witness TO the death Of his companion, who |
was burned before his eyes.
He saw quite . number Of persons res
cued with severe burns. But few bodies |
had been taken out when he left At that |
number Of victims He expressed the bc- |
lief that not more than thirty were killed |
Ira Chase. Of Bristol, who went 70 the |
wreck on the special from White River |
Junction, says that the Boston sleeper
Pilgrim and the Springfield sleeper
s'St Aibans" turned bottom up In the fall. |
Twenty-six persons. Is far as known, were
taken out alive. Two Of these are UNDER
stood 70 be Mr.. Wesson. Of Springfield,
and Ed Brooklebanks. who died soon after.
Mr. Chase makes the total number in
the wrecked express about eighty, and the
number dead between ffty and sixty. In
most cases death probably resulted from
burning rather than drowning. Several |
were penned into the wreck who might |
have been rescued but for the flames.
At the point where the train ran ov0r
tho abutment the gorge Is . frightful one
and the cars went down with terrible |
crash The screams Of the injured were
Assistance speedily came
from the trainmen and neighboring farm